Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-03


work by the day. for himself as boss,
aud the other men that he and l were
TO hire. and asked him to make ms out
an estimate OF the materials needed.
THE PLAN.
"'Let nae see your plan,' he said.
But l had no definite plan made yet
beyond a general idea Of the kind of
house I wanted. l told him my wife
would have plan ready by the next
day but one. You know Mollie draws
and paints, and if she planned the
house herself it would be sure to suit
her
1--WE talked it over at home that
evening, and next day Mollie made the
plans. We were to have parlor,
dining.room, library and kitchen on the
ground floor, and four bedrooms and a
bathroom upstairs, with q good attic
over all She drew front and side
elevations, and colored them SO nicely
they looked almost as we'll as the
chromos in the book. l was proud of
her work, and that evening l carried
the plans over to the carpenter. He
studied over ii awhile, and admitted
that it was very handsomely done.
But where are you going to put the
ladders?' he asked.
Ladders! What ladders?' sad.
"Why, to get upstairs, said he. 4
see you haven't got any stairs in the
plan
"Sure enough; in her anxiety to make
good wide entrance hall Mollie had
left out the stairs. l put some in.
"Don't you think in the cold winter
weather you will want little fire in the
house?' he asked.
"Of course told him. why do
you a.k?'
because there are no chimneys to
it, he replied. There is the start OF
one here in the dining.room, but it
doesn't go up through the second story,
and l don't see any ON the roof
"Mollie had made another slip. After
studying the plans q few minutes more
Dobson asked me, Don't you think it
would be little ipconvenient for the
girl to bring the meals through the front
hall and across the parlor into the
dining room! There is no door between
the dining room and kitchen, nor any
place for one. The chimney takes up
half of the partition and the pantry the
rest
II began to think that perhaps Mollie
had not taken time enough to study out
the plan.
SHOW, if you will take my advice,
Mr.. Taylor Dobson said, you will 60
to some good architect and let him make
a plan for you. 1t will cost you $50,
but it will save you $500 in the end.
You and your wife can give him a
general idea of what you want, and he
will fill in the particulars. 1t is very
important to get the plan just as you
want IL at the start, tor every change
you make afterwards adds so much 10
| the cost.
STARTING THE WORK.
"After consulting with Mollie l de.
termined to follow this advice. She ana
l went down to the city to All architects
office and described what we wanted.
He promised to have the plans ready in
three days. Three days meant almost
four weeks. But at last we got them;
and his estimate of the cost was $500.
In week more Dobson gave me an
estimate of the lumber needed for in.
closing the house, and with his help l
went and bought it.
"'Now, how soon will you have your
men together and begin work. l asked
him.
"'I am ready as soon as the founda-
tion is built, he replied; but you have
not begun to dig the cellar yet.
Il got four men and had the cellar
dug in about week. Then l had to
hunt up boss mason. l went to Der.
nyter, who does good work, and asked
him to build my foundation. He wanted
the job, but could not begin it for
several weeks. l tried two OR three
other masons, but they were all busy, SO
l engaged Dernyter. One Monday
morning in the first week in June he
came to my house early, and said his
men were on the ground ready TO begin
| workout where were the bricks?
With oil my good calculations and all
my urging of the men had neglected
to provide any bricks.
al doubt whether you will be able
to get any just now, he told me; they
are very scarce, and consequently very
high. At any rate, it will take you two
or three weeks to get them here.
~ went to the nearest brickyard and
faund-no bricks. 1t was the same at
another, and still another. 70 make
long story short, after visiting about a
dozen brickmaking towns in vain had
to 60 up the Hudson to buy them, and
pay, including the cost of transporta-
tion, at least three times what l could
have bought them for two months
earlier.
"On the 4.h of July had the salts.
faction of sitting down on the completed
foundation. Mollie and 1 spent good
part of the day Joking at what even
then we began to call 'the elephant
The cellar looked so abominably small,
it did not seem big enough to be under
more than one good room-yet it was
the full size of the house. The car
penters promised to 60 to work on the
10th, which was a Monday. As cold
matter of fact, Dobson began to work
with seven men on Monday, the Both.
He and 1 hunted up more men in few
days, because it began to be o question
now whether we were going to have the
house inclosed before cold weather.
They had the frame up in two weeks,
and week later it was covered with a
sheathing of round boards. The roof
went on in few days, and then they
laid the floors, so that the mesons could
60 to work at the chimneys.
THE HOUSE FINIsHERs.
''But the masons by this time were at
work on a new stone building and could
not come. The carpenters, too, mad
been working too hard, and required
rest of two weeks. 1t was the middle
of September before the chinneys were
finished and the carpenters at work
again, At last tho weatherboards were
on, and the painters came, and after
some delay, and put on coat of 'prim.
ing
"'Now, MIR. Taylor, Dobson said, one
day, you want four lathers.'
Where can l buy them?' l asked.
"'You can't buy them, he replied;